Thanks for taking the time to visit our Just Giving page.

We are running the Bupa Great North Run to raise money for the Addison's Disease Self Help Group (ADSHG) as our beautiful, amazing and extremely brave daughter Lauren was diagnosed with Addison’s disease in March 2011 age 9. Before this we had never heard of Addisons Disease.

The ADSHG works to support people with Addisons Disease and to promote a better medical understanding of this rare condition and relies completely on members' subscriptions and donations. They also raise awareness of the condition (it is so rare that medical staff can be unaware of it), keep members abreast of medical advances and support a number of medical projects.

Further information on how donations will help this charity can be found on the ADSHG website, www.adshg.org.uk, and http://www.addisons.org.uk/comms/adshg/abouttheadshg.pdf

This charity is very close to our hearts as it offers us lots of help, support and guidance in dealing with this disease so we want to try and raise as much money as possible to ensure that people with Addison’s disease continue to receive all the help and support they need and deserve.

Laurens Story

After feeling unwell for 3 days with abdominal pain, dizziness, vomiting and tiredness Lauren was taken to the doctors. When seen by the Doctor we were told she needed to go to hospital.

Once at hospital it was initially thought she had a viral infection but then she was found to be hypoglycaemic and blood tests showed she had a low sodium level of 110 and a high potassium level of 6.2 and was put on a drip.

Further tests showed that Lauren actually had auto immune Addisons Disease and she had experienced an Addisonian crisis which is a potentially fatal condition to be in. Lauren spent a total of 2 difficult weeks in hospital where she had countless tests before returning home with us all having a different life to contend with.

Lauren now needs to undertake a steroid replacement plan which means she is on daily doses of medication for the rest of her life to prevent this from happening again. Also Lauren has to be constantly monitored as when she becomes unwell like anyone does (fever, flu etc) or has an accident and gets injured, her medication has to be increased to mimic what our body does naturally or if it is serious an efocortisol injection (which has to be carried everywhere she goes) has to be given immediately, if any of this doesn’t happen then she could end up back in hospital or worse!

Lauren has dealt with the illness bravely and is an inspiration to us all.

What is Addisons Disease?

Addison’s disease is a rare, chronic condition brought about by the failure of the adrenal glands that sit at the top of the kidneys and they produce the steroid hormones that are essential for life: cortisol and aldosterone. Lifelong, continuous treatment with steroid replacement therapy is required.

Addison’s disease is such a rare condition and even more so in young children that in the whole of the Northeast and Cumbria there is on average only 2 children present each year.

For more information about the disease please follow this link: http://www.addisons.org.uk/info/addisons/page1.html

So we would very much appreciate any amount of donation to our fundraising drive for the Addisons Disease Self Help Group, so please donate as much or as little as you can.

Many thanks Chris and Sarah Coverdale J